The Shaquille O’Neal saga took another twist Wednesday night when ESPN Boston reported that the big man received a cortisone shot and was placed back into a walking boot.

O’Neal hasn’t played since Feb. 1 while attempting to recover from a right Achilles injury.

The center went with the team on their recent road trip and reportedly aggravated the injury while participating in a shootaround.

“The objective with the boot is to eliminate the return of swelling after his Achilles injury flared up again recently while he was trying to work his way back to game action, according to the sources.”

The report goes on to state that the team expects O’Neal to return by next week.

With only 12 games returning on the schedule, the clock is ticking against O'Neal's return. He still needs to see how he fits in with all the new pieces that were acquired and get himself into playing shape prior to the playoffs.